LORD VAMPIRE - TEACHER INFORMATION

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Forensic Science Project



The Death of Lord Vampire takes place in Transylvannia during the height of the socialite season. Lord Vampire is known as a leading member of the Transylvannia social elite and, as a result, his death is a shock to the community. The police feel there are five suspects in this case and have evidence on each suspect.

During the assessment task additional information will be discovered and released to the class. A schedule of the timing of these releases is included. Some of the evidence found is contradictory and students will have to evaluate each piece of evidence in developing their conclusions.

There are four aspects that must be considered in this task. First there is some pre-assessment material that will have to be assembled. Second, the materials needed to be prepared before class. Third, there is the release of evidence during the assessment task. Fourth, the interpretation of the data and conclusions. Again, the evidence can be shifted among suspects to have a different guilty suspect each year.



Preparing for the Assessment Task

Each student will have handouts that include a page from the "Bloody News" (Transylvannia Newspaper), police reports on each suspect and a receipt from the ACME Nuclear material company. From this information the students will be able to determine the following:

Information in the Bloody News Newspaper

Information in the Police Reports

Each report contains the following information on the suspects:

Information in the ACME Nuclear



Materials

The following must be prepared before class:

Blood Types

Hair Samples

Stains or Garlic Samples

Powder Samples




Release of Information During the Task

During the assessment task you will be required to release information at specific times. This information will assist the students in their investigation. At the indicated times the following information bulletins need to be released:

Start of class
Hand out newspaper, police records and ACME Nuclear receipt
15 min - Police Report
Report indicates newspaper made a mistake with publishing fingerprints. Omit loops and whorls.
25 min - Supplementary Forensic Lab Report
For the first time students are made aware that powders were collected at the crime scene.
40 min - Blood Samples Returned from the Lab
Blood collected from the crime scene returns from the lab
50 min - Confidential Police Memo
Police Chief is upset with internal leaks. Also released information that Lord Vampire is allergic to garlic
65 min - Forensic Bulletin #7
New research from this journal indicates that garlic can be tested for using paper chromatography. At the same time the stains collected from the lab return and can be tested for the presence of garlic. The stains are made of food colouring with a positive test having yellow food colouring mixed in with others colours. See key for more information.
70 min - Transylvannia Social Review
A social page from the paper that shows Mr Fraud and Ms Loot together.

**The times can be varied depending on the pace of the class



Results and Conclusions

Students have been asked to determine the time of the crime, who and why are the innocent suspects and who was the guilty suspect and why. It is expected students refer to their table of evidence or key when developing their conclusions.

1. Time of the Crime

The time of the crime, with the use of radioactive half life dating, was between 10:48 pm and 10:55 pm

2. Innocent Suspects

Sticky Fingers - Sticky Fingers can be crossed off the list because his fingerprints do not match the arch found on the stake that went through Lord Vampire's heart. Also, he had the wrong blood type. Fingers is Type A. The positive garlic test was due to the garlic prawns he had at dinner.

Mr C.R. Ime - He can be eliminated from the suspects because he has red hair and did not have garlic on him. Anyone who killed Lord Vampire would have come close enough to him to become positive for garlic. The cut on his hand was from chopping wood for the castles fireplace.

Ms Loot - Did not commit the crime. She was having a relationship with Mr Fraud. The note in the social review of them on holiday together confirms this. Lord Vampire also had taken a fancy to her. Lord Vampire would not leave her alone at social events and eventually she confronted him. Later that night Mr Fraud and Ms Loot discussed their options on the balcony. However, blood type, hair sample and garlic test eliminates Ms Loot as a suspect.

Mr Fraud - If it wasn't for the negative garlic test and different powder samples the police may have arrested Mr Fraud.

3. Guilty Suspect

Ms Take - Her motive was that she was removed from her father's will. The positive tests for fingerprints, blood type, hair and powder indicate she committed the crime.



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For more information contact: lsandner@cln.etc.bc.ca